Discover your past
Learn from the experts whether you are starting out on your family history or in need of specialist advice
What is the best family history website?
Don't miss our guide to choosing the best family history website, and the pros and cons of Ancestry, Findmypast, TheGenealogist and MyHeritage
1921 census released on Ancestry
Family history website Ancestry published the 1921 census records for England and Wales on 7 January 2025
Proposals to destroy original wills overturned after public outcry
The Ministry of Justice has announced it will not proceed with controversial proposals to digitise post-1858 wills and destroy the originals
The best genealogy courses available now
Discover how to learn family history skills with our pick of the best online and correspondence genealogy courses
When was the 1921 census taken?
When was the 1921 census taken? Where can you find the records? And what do they show you? We answer your questions about the latest family history resource
What's new?
What UK census records are available?
UK census records are a crucial family history resource, but when was the census taken and where can you find census records including free census websites?
The 1921 census - everything you need to know!
The 1921 census for England and Wales is now available online. Here is everything you need to know about the 1921 census including how to access it and what it will tell you.
12 ways to share your family tree
Don't let all your family history research go to waste. Chris Paton explains how to share the stories you uncover with your family this Christmas
My grandfather never knew who his biological father was — could I solve the mystery with a DNA test?
Crime novelist Sarah Ward reveals how she took a DNA test to solve her own mystery — the identity of her grandfather's father
Scottish ancestry: How to find free Scottish records online
Discover your Scottish ancestry with the help of these free Scottish ancestry records online
DNA
Discover how DNA testing can unlock your family history
How to download or delete your raw DNA data from 23andMe
The simplest way to download your raw DNA data from 23andMe so that you can place it on an alternative website
The best DNA test kits for 2024 Christmas presents
Debbie Kennett, author of DNA and Social Networking, explains why DNA testing is increasingly important in family history research.
"If you do the work, the story's there": Brad Argent on making DNA Journey
Brad Argent, Ancestry's expert on DNA Journey, spoke to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine about making the latest series
Occupations
Discover the occupations and jobs people in your family history did
The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree
An Anglican or nonconformist clergyman in your family tree can be a treat for genealogists, says Jonathan Scott
Munitionettes: Who were they and what did they do?
12-hour shifts, poisoning and deadly explosions... discover the hidden lives of the women who built Britain's arms during the First World War
Post Office records: How to find Post Office employee records
Susannah Coster from The Postal Museum reveals how to use Post Office records in family history
Military
Military and army records, history, research and family history
Remarkable drawings from artist’s First World War scrapbook go online
Findmypast has published an illustrated scrapbook by First World War soldier Henry Page
Second World War Army records: Where to find them
If someone in your family history served in the Army during the Second World War, here's how to track down their records
1.7m Second World War records to go online
Overseas ancestry
Learn how to search for your ancestry overseas and discover your international family tree
Reader story | My family came here with the Windrush generation
When Adrian Stone's mum fell ill, he was compelled to research her heritage. A decade and 6,000 ancestors on, he has made some amazing finds that have led him from Jamaica to his African roots.
The best websites for tracing Caribbean ancestors
Jonathan Scott shares his top online resources for tracing your Caribbean ancestry
How to trace your ancestors in the Irish Famine
Discover what records survive of the devastating Irish Famine of 1845 to 1849, and how to trace your family
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
Old photographs: Your complete guide to cleaning, storing and displaying your family photographs
Helen Dawkins on the best way to make sure your old family photographs survive for future generations
RHS calls for help identifying 16 Victorian calling card photographs
The Royal Horticultural Society has published its collection of 756 Victorian calling card photographs online
Do you have photographs of your family in their gardens? Here’s how to uncover the stories behind them
Discover how to use clothes, photo types and more to date old photographs of your family outdoors in their gardens throughout the years
Photo dating
Find out more about dating and caring for your old family photographs
These family photos are all I have left of my grandfather and uncle who both died in the world wars
Debbie Cameron from Formby in Merseyside shares her family photographs, including of her grandfather and uncle who died in the world wars
From fishing trawlers to Second World War submarines, my family have a long connection with the sea
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Hazel Garas shares some of her family photographs, including Second World War heroes
From a mysterious disappearance to meeting the Queen: These photographs reveal my family history
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Pamela Spencer shares her family photographs, including from the First and Second World Wars
Church records
How to access church records, religious records, and discover religious ancestors
Over one million Teesside parish records go online
A new collection over one million Teesside parish records has been added to Ancestry
How to find baptism records
Genealogist Paul Blake explains why English and Welsh baptism records are important in family history research, and where you can find them online
Parish chest records: What are they, and how can you use them in family history?
So-called because they were kept in chests in the parish, parish chest records include churchwardens' accounts, settlement orders, bastardy examinations and more
TV series
Discover more about the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series
January Sale! Try 3 issues of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine and get every issue delivered direct to your door for £6!
Get the most from Britain's best selling family history magazine today!
Lucy Worsley Investigates: What is it, and when is it on TV?
In her new history series Lucy Worsley Investigates, Lucy turns her attention to the Jack the Ripper murders and more
Dame Judi Dench on Who Do You Think You Are?: Everything you need to know
Legendary actor Judi Dench traced her family history on Who Do You Think You Are? - but could she find a link to Shakespeare?